Texarkana Gazette

Advice

Squeezing optimal nutrition out of your veggie juice When Jose Canseco's book "Juiced" hit the shelves in 2005, it rocked the baseball world with its tales of the illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids. Juicing is never good in sports, and it can be just as unhealthy for your diet. For example, drinking filtered kale juice instead of eating whole leaves robs you of glucose-controlling, gut-loving fiber. And bottled "veggie juices" may contain more water, fructose and artificial ingredients than anything found in the natural vegetable. Published Feb. 25 2021 @ 2:34pm

Sugar's secret hiding spots in everyday foods When The Archies sang, "Oh, honey/Ah, sugar, sugar/You are my candy girl/And you got me wanting you," they could have been describing this country's sweet addiction. The average American eats more than 152 pounds of sugar annually! Published Feb. 23 2021 @ 4:29pm

Boy's porn punishment doesn't fit crime Dear Abby: When I stopped by my brother's house a couple of weeks ago, he mentioned that his 9-year-old son was grounded in his bedroom. He was being punished for snooping in his dad's vintage collection of porn. Published Feb. 23 2021 @ 4:27pm

If there are leftovers, soup is always an option Dear Heloise: When I get home I'm usually tired and hate to bother with dinner. So instead of a big meal, I make soup from leftovers. I grab a big pot or saucepan, pour in water with a couple of bouillon cubes and bring it to a boil. Any leftover chicken, beef or pork gets chopped up and added. I season with spices and add any leftover veggies or open a can of white beans to add to the soup. I usually rinse canned vegetables to remove any excess salt. You also can add leftover rice or macaroni to your soup. This with a salad and some warm rolls can make a healthy soup on a chilly evening! — Lisa B., Newport, R.I. Published Feb. 23 2021 @ 4:26pm

Personality changes with miscarriage Dear Abby: My husband and I suffered a miscarriage five months ago, in the 12th week. I'm still not doing well. I have put on a facade to get by, but I'm just starting to realize how deeply this is affecting my life. Published Feb. 22 2021 @ 5:12pm

Is this your year for reconditioning? There's air conditioning, hair conditioning and, lately, err-conditioning. A new study in the journal Obesity found that in the past year, folks have become even more sedentary (in prepandemic years, 60% of Americans were inactive). Both intensity of and time spent doing exercise has decreased, and almost 28% of the study's participants fessed up to gaining weight. Published Feb. 22 2021 @ 5:10pm

Silly vaccine myths running wild Dear Readers: Wow — there are some wild myths out there about the COVID-19 vaccine! Three of the most absurd? The vaccine causes infertility. (NO.) When you get the vaccine, you're implanted with a tracking device. (What??) And the vaccine will alter your DNA. (It absolutely will not.) Published Feb. 22 2021 @ 5:07pm

OPINION | Four tips for starting or reinventing a business in tough times Think the best time to start a business is in a booming economy? Maybe. But some of the biggest business success stories in recent decades actually came from a good idea hatched during a recession. by Hal M. Bundrick | NerdWallet Published Feb. 21 2021 @ 8:00pm

OPINION | Millennial Money: Turn your quarantine clutter into money I placed more online orders than I can count in 2020. And I justified all of them. by Courtney Jespersen | NerdWallet Published Feb. 21 2021 @ 8:00pm

Grateful mom honors life of young son's benefactor Dear Abby: On Sept. 14, 2017, you printed my letter about my ex-husband "borrowing" money from my 13-year-old son's piggy bank. Soon after, you reached out to tell me a gentleman (the founder of an organization that helps people who have been wronged) wanted to send my son twice the amount of money that had been taken from him. My son was humbled, to say the least. Not only did that gesture restore my son's faith in people, but he gained from it a friend who made a lasting impression. Published Feb. 20 2021 @ 3:00pm

Watch out for pet food recalls Dear Readers: Paying attention to pet food recalls? It could be lifesaving. A recent recall was because of the presence of aflatoxins in dog food — toxins from mold that can cause extreme illness and death, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA.gov). Published Feb. 20 2021 @ 2:57pm

Explaining the remarkable powers of time-restricted eating We often mention that you should limit the hours in the day that you eat to when the sun is shining, that this eating style is part of a smart plan to achieve a younger RealAge, and it's the basis of Dr. Mike's book "What to Eat When." But it's time to dive more deeply into the science behind the recommendations and the amazing benefits that are being discovered all the time. Published Feb. 20 2021 @ 2:46pm

How to sooth your aching jaws Q: I'm 34 and a healthy mom of three kids. Recently I developed severe pain along my jaw and the side of my face. What could be causing it and what kind of doctor should I see about it? Published Feb. 19 2021 @ 5:30pm

Story of wrongful conviction is shared without permission DEAR ABBY: I'm a gay man in my late 40s, partnered with a man in his late 50s. There are a lot of issues from my past that I try hard to move beyond and let go of. I was wrongly accused and convicted of a crime I didn't commit, for which I was sentenced to life in prison. Published Feb. 19 2021 @ 5:27pm

Waist measurement can be an indicator for dementia risk Around the world, people generate more than 2 billion metric tons of solid waste annually - and high-income countries like the U.S. account for more than a third of that pollution. Published Feb. 18 2021 @ 2:53pm

Now is a good time to start emergency fund Dear Heloise: Both my husband and I work as financial planners, and we've noticed a serious trend over the past 25 years. Published Feb. 18 2021 @ 2:52pm

Grandmas refuse to go along with gift-giving request Dear Abby: Our 11-year-old has learned to lie, and we feel terrible about it. Because she has a sensory processing disorder, clothes are a useless gift because the seams and fabric are often uncomfortable for her. We have repeatedly asked family and friends not to gift her clothes, but her grandmas are in denial and often do it anyway. Published Feb. 18 2021 @ 2:51pm

Crabby distant relative becomes an unwelcome freeloader Dear Abby: My husband is an amazing guy. We have a very nice life except for an older sort-of family member who is living with us. Published Feb. 17 2021 @ 2:05pm

Next time, consider a tankless water heater Dear Readers: Quarantine has brought our focus into our homes. We're spending so much time indoors; lots of people are looking around in their homes and thinking, hmmm - this needs an upgrade! Published Feb. 17 2021 @ 1:58pm

Tales from the tailgate and other nutritional nightmares Did you tailgate with (masked) friends to watch the Super Bowl outdoors? All kinds of innovative ways to share the day safely were tried this year and with viewer numbers hitting around 100 million, we're betting more than 100 million bags of chips, corndogs, doughnuts and beers were consumed. Published Feb. 17 2021 @ 1:56pm

Use cereal box liners in the kitchen, as freezer bags Dear Heloise: Pounding or flattening meat or chicken using flimsy plastic wrap or bags can be messy. Instead, save and use the empty bags from cereal boxes. They are amazingly tough, stay in place and are air- and waterproof. Sealed with tape they make great storage/freezer bags too. — Russ B., Ashburn, Va. Published Feb. 16 2021 @ 5:47pm

Adult daughter annoyed by her dad's playful pats Dear Abby: I am 20-something years old, and my father still hits my behind sometimes. I feel it is inappropriate, but the last time I complained about it, several years ago, it didn't go over well. It also didn't stop his behavior. What else can I do? Published Feb. 16 2021 @ 5:44pm

Signs you may need more omega-3s "Omega Man" was a 1971 Charlton Heston movie about survival in a diseased and dangerous world. Published Feb. 16 2021 @ 5:42pm